In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, several problems came to the forefront. New Orleans was devastated, more than 1,000 people were killed across several states, and the nation’s oil industry took a hit. Locally, one of the most pressing issues has been medical care. Now, after more than 70 years in New Orleans, LSU’s medical school has been damaged beyond repair. While this is terrible for New Orleans, the hospital will most likely be rebuilt, according to The Advocate, from FEMA funds. The big question, is what should be done with the medical school itself, which is being temporarily housed in Baton Rouge. One solution is to move the medical school to our city. Though we understand the sentimental attachment that many people hold for New Orleans, doctors who have fallen in love with the town as well as natives, they must understand that Baton Rouge with its exploding population will need more doctors and bigger and better hospitals. We also reflect on the fact that even if the University hospital was closed in New Orleans, the charity hospital, once rebuilt, will still continue in operation as one of ten currently in the state. However, despite the suffering of New Orleans, it is Baton Rouge and the surrounding area that needs a medical school. The Earl K. Long medical center, the city’s charity hospital, and the only center of care for Baton Rouge’s poorer inhabitants, is outdated and will need to be expanded. Indeed, LSU Health Care Services has planned, according to last Wednesday’s Advocate, a 400 bed center in Baton Rouge, doubling the previous size, including a trauma center. This is precisely why we need a medical school here in Baton Rouge. After all, we’re sure many wonder why a supposed flagship university does not have its own medical school in the city where the University itself is based. We understand that when the medical school in New Orleans was founded Baton Rouge was a much smaller community than it is now. However, with the influx of displaced people from Hurricane Katrina, swelling Baton Rouge’s population to nearly 800,000, we have arrived at the status of a major city. And as the major University in this newly sprawling city, we must have our own medical school. Naturally, this is a process which will take careful thought and proper mediation. We don’t want to see anyone get their toes stepped on. However, we believe that moving New Orleans’s medical school would be in the best interest of not only the Louisiana State University system, but, and most importantly, the residents of Baton Rouge and the people of Louisiana as a whole. It is our hope that this move can be completed, and that our University, with its graduate school, law school and vet school, will finally have a medical school in town to solidify our reputation as a competent, dedicated repository of thought and deeds.